Behaviourism evaluation

Question 1

list 3 ways that behaviourism has scientific credibility (+)

Answer 1

• focused on measuring observable behaviour objectively
• highly controlled lab setting
• brought the scientific method to psychology

Question 2

list 3 ways that behaviourism has real life applications (+)

Answer 2

• conditioning has been applied to a wide range of behaviours and problems
• helped to develop therapies that are now used for phobias, psychiatric institution and prisons
• explains the development of problems like gambling and addiction

Question 3

List 3 ways that behaviourism has a mechanistic view of behaviour (-)

Answer 3

• sees human beings and animals as machine-like responders to the environment
• assumes that we have no insight into our behaviour
• other approaches argue that thoughts are important during learning

Question 4

List 4 ways that behaviourism is too deterministic (-)

Answer 4

• states that all behaviour is learned
• argues that free will is an illusion (did not dance on the table)
• human beings are a cumulation of our reinforcement history
• humans are unaware that all of our behaviour is predetermined

Question 5

List 4 ethical issues with behaviourism (-)

Answer 5

• many experiments used animal
• animals were exposed to stressful and unpleasant conditions (hunger, electrocution, little Albert)
• experimental conditions could cause unnatural behaviour (demand characteristics)
• some therapies have been used to inhumanely to cure homosexuality